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YOUNGSTOWN — Randy Nuby recently retired from coaching sports such as basketball and football to devote more time to his landscaping business and his grandkids.
But several months ago, after violence in Youngstown spiked, he heard the “whisper” of God urging him to get back in the game.
“I started thinking about all of the violence that’s going on,” he said. “I said, ‘I’ve got to do something.’ God basically has been whispering in my ear: “You’ve got to do something.”
“So I said I’m going to create a program for kids 19 and over that are just out of high school who need direction. They need mentorship, they need somebody to push them in the right direction and make positive decisions,” he said.
That is when the Respect Basketball League of Youngstown started to take shape.
“I was sitting back thinking we needed to do something to get the kids off the street, to educate them and get them vocational skills and also provide basketball, so I came up with this scenario,” Newby said.
He and his team consisting of Sabrina Jones of the Academy for Urban Scholars, Shimmy Miller and Len Carter, had discussions with Eastern Gateway Community College and the YMCA of Youngstown. The reason for involving the community college and scholars is because basketball would only be only a part of the league. The other part is vocational training, help in writing resumes and other educational information.
Read more about the program in Sunday’s Vindicator.